,Arun Gupto’s debut book, Goddesses of Kathmandu Valley, was launched amid a function at Patan Durbar Square Museum, on Tuesday.

The event saw a panel discussion, where panelists Ajaya Bhadra Khanal, Menuka Gurung, Dr Shashank Sinha and Dr Abhi Subedi—who also jointly launched the book along with the author and women present in the audience—discussed the themes Gupto has incorporated into his book. 

“The book is a collective effort. There is a single person who writes, but there are so many things that are accumulated and reproduced to make a work of knowledge. Kathmandu has thousands of legacies, monuments, paintings and rituals that need to be interpreted and this has always fascinated me. We have this intellectual burden of history that date back to thousands of years and we have to take them in all seriousness,” said Gupto, speaking during the function. Moreover, Professor Abhi Subedi cited the book as a ‘South Asian achievement’ in terms of religious and cultural interest. 

Gupto’s monograph maps the diverse identities of goddesses through metaphors of Grace, Rage and Knowledge and offers an in-depth insight into feminist, religion and rituals. The event was jointly organised by Soma Gupto, Mandala Book Point and Routledge. The book is published by Routlegde Taylor & Francis Group. 

Professor Abhi Subedi cited the book as a ‘South Asian achievement’